(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a regenerative braking apparatus of a hybrid vehicle, more particularly, to a regenerative brake apparatus which secures a stable braking force in a four-wheel drive vehicle and a regenerative braking method.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A hybrid vehicle uses two or more power sources, generally, an engine and a motor. The motor in a hybrid vehicle assists power from the engine in accelerating or uphill driving. In particular, the motor operates as a power generator, and when the vehicle brakes, it generates a braking force by converting kinetic energy generated during braking into electrical energy. The converted electrical energy is stored in the vehicle.
A system that converts kinetic energy generated during braking of a vehicle into electric energy and recovers the electric energy is called a regenerative braking system.
A rear-axle mounted electric device (RMED) type of hybrid vehicle will now be described. In the RMED type of hybrid vehicle, the front wheels are driven by the power from the engine, and the rear wheels are driven by power of the motor. The motor assists the power from the engine and operates as a power generator during braking of the vehicle. The engine is equipped with a hybrid starting generator (HSG), and the HSG operates as a power generator when the engine is in operation.
However, an appropriate regenerative braking plan using the motor and the HSG is required when braking the RMED type of hybrid vehicle.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.